Thank you so much to Charles Webb for chatting with me at Emerald City Comic Con about cosplay and what it means to me!!!

For Yaya Han, it all started with a character from the mid-90's anime "Maze." "I dressed up as Mill Varna who was this really obnoxious little princess. That was 13 years ago and I think part of the costume was made of felt and I shudder think about it now." Since then, Han has become a fixture at cosplay conventions around the world, crafting her own comic, anime, and video game-themed costumes out of cloth, latex, thermal plastic--you know, the usual.

That level of detail has been a passion for Han since that very first costume, and in the years since she's been a panelist at cons, she's released her own calendar, doled out tips and advice to would-be cosplayers, and recently served as a judge on "King of the Nerds" (she almost declined out of fear the reality show would be about poking fun at fandom instead of celebrating it). Han is a name in this scene at a time when puerile arguments about "real" nerds, assaults on women's body image in fandom, and race are creating an unwelcoming environment for would-be geeks even as fandom has blown up.

But for Han, who believes something like cosplay can change a person's life, it's all worth it. Read More